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USC Morning Buzz

As another day passed without a starting quarterback, there is a school of thought that Lane Kiffin might wait until Monday to make an announcement because it is the first day of classes.
Why does that matter? Because once the school year starts it becomes more difficult to transfer as you lose a year of eligibility. Now Kiffin might be telling Cody Kessler or Max Wittek they are the starter today, which makes this a moot point. But the longer he waits, the more speculation that Monday is a key day.

In the meantime, remember the most famous USC quarterback derby before this one?

Smart move. One of Texas A&M’s quarterbacks just left after losing out in the Johnny Football replacement derby.

Helen

Dumb move. “Johnny Football” will never play college ball again – the door’s wide open.

TrojanFan

Interesting, did you get some “inside info” from betomas?

gotroy22

He lost out among the replacements. That means he sucks and is better off at Idaho.

Trojan Hoarse

Will Malik Dorton pick USC today?

B.Miller

GOOD QUESTION.. notice how Wolf hasn’t mentioned that yet

Trojan Hoarse

Wolf just now got out of bed and posted about it….

Joe Blow

And Bucket’s bed at that!

TrojanFan

According to sources, they were spotted leaving a hourly rate motel together. Bucket had the infamous baby blue sweater on, with white stains all over the front…ouch!

Trojan Hoarse

Although both Leinart and Cassell have had less than stellar NFL careers, they both got a nice pay day, whether or not they started in college…. Neither Wittek and Kessler should transfer..injuries happen and one or the other may not pan out after a few games…..plus, they both burned their redshirt years…..

L’Angelo Misterioso

Uh Cassell has had a far better pro career than Matt the Man Whore, not even close.

TrojanFan

“Matt the Man Whore.”

I’m jealous!….hahaha!!!

Trojan Hoarse

By direct comparison, I would completely agree with you…..But with Alex Smith in KC now, Cassell is a pretty high priced clipboard holder…….

TrojanFan

Matt Leinart was 37-2 as a starter with 33 straight wins, He was only a couple plays away from an undefeated college career, amazing!

I admire Matt Cassell for sticking it out and staying a Trojan. He goes on to become a starting QB in the NFL after never starting a game during his college career, also amazing

ted

You are charlie bucket

TrojanFan

Why would you say that?

ted

If Kiffin is truly holding on until Monday because it makes it more difficult to transfer and because the kid would lose a year of eligibility, that would be the epitome of being a scumbag!! Either way Kiffin needs to be fired!

TrojanFan

teddy, slow down, sounds like you got you panties(jockstrap) tied in a knot…ouch!…. Relax and let things play out

ted

you dont even come to games….

Helen

If anyone thinks that if Kiffin announced the starter on Friday and the #2 QB would transfer before Monday then they’re crazy. BTW, in the past the people who stayed in the program (i.e., Cassell) have been more successful than those that transferred (i.e., nobody).

B.Miller

GOOD POINT H

Tom Oday

If one transfers today, don’t they lose a year of eligibility? Is Wolf implying that if they attend class, then transfer, they lose two years of eligibility?

gotroy22

Couldn’t they immediately play at a Division I-AA school if they transfer before school starts?

Tom Oday

Yep!

Trojan Hoarse

Yes….. after all, we are the pipeline of QB talent to University of Richmond Spiders (see Aaron Corp)

ted

If you transfer before school is in session, you have to sit out a year but do not lose a year of eligibility. But if you transfer after the start of school, you have to sit out a year and lose a year of eligibility. So if Witteck were to transfer before school starts, he would not play this season but play next season as a redshirt sophomore. However if he transfers after the start of school, he would also not play this season and when he starts next season he would be a redshirt junior.

UCLA Owns the Rose Bowl

That completely fits Kitten’s MO. Definition of a narcissist. God forbid it being about what’s best for the student-athlete.

Tom Oday

Same at Arizona, Colorado, Wisconsin, Oklahoma St., et al. Do it like Ok. St. They will use two QB’s in opener.

Ben Factor

I am surprised that so many commenters don’t think the non-starter should transfer. Of course he should transfer if he is committed to a career in the NFL. The counter-arguments are weak.

I agree with Scott that it’s a tough decision for Kiffin. Especially during the last 10-12 days of practice, they played pretty even. Wittek seemed to have a SLIGHTLY higher percentage of combined fumbles, interceptions, dropped interceptions, and bad snaps, while Kessler to take more sacks, and maybe put together more drives. We’ll never know all the details, or the intangibles.

If I were Kiffin, I would conduct a secret ballot vote by the offensive personnel and defensive personnel, and ask for comments. I wouldn’t let the team choose the QB, but would use the vote and comments to provide guidance of the perception of teammates, which is pretty important.

Florida State and Oklahoma are in the same boat, and haven’t selected a starter.

Mike Riley at Oregon State will start out alternating QBs, which he did when he was an assistant coach at USC in the Keyshawn Johnson era.

If I were Kiffin, that’s what I would do against Hawaii. Some QBs elevate their play in real games more than others do. Supposedly, Leinart was not a great practice player.

Trojan Hoarse

I guess committing to getting a college education from a top rate university would be too much to ask…….Your idea of how Kiffin should go about selecting a QB is interesting, but to suggest that the non-starter immediately transfer is extremely short sighted, in my opinion….even if he is “committed to a career in the NFL.”……

Ben Factor

I’m not attacking the value of college education at USC. It’s my belief that if one very much wants to play in the NFL, one is far better off to play college football, not just practice college football (and practice with minimal reps, because the starter is first priority with the the reps he needs to prepare for each game).

The fact is that USC’s starting quarterbacks have missed no more than 5 games over the last five years. The back-up should not expect to play much.

Both Wittek nor Kessler took redshirt years, and both have three scholarship seasons of eligibility remaining. Each will lose a full year of eligibility if he transfers

If the non-starter transfers early enough to avoid having 2013 count as one of his three remaining eligibility years, he will sit one year at another college, and still have two years to play. But if he’s at USC and 2013 counts as an eligibility year, he will sit one year at another college and have one year left to play.

If the non-starter really wants to play in the NFL, and he’s not chosen to start, the smart bet is to to leave early, and save that eligibility year.

You can talk about how the chosen starter may not work out, or may get hurt. You can talk about Matt Cassel. You can talk about a good college education, and you can talk about how hard it is to make it in the NFL even if you star in CFB, and on and on. However, if the non-starter REALLY wants to play in the NFL, he should bet the the smart odds. He should leave, and leave with three years of eligibility remaining. That’s just the way it is, whether USC fans like it or not.

Trojan Hoarse

You may not be attacking the value of a paid college education, but, respectfully, you may be underestimating it, especially given the long odds of playing in the NFL, even as a back up…..there are only 33 starting jobs in the NFL…..and with the average career of an NFL QB being 6.6 years, well, you can figure out where I’m going with this…great college QB’s don’t always translate into great NFL QB’s…….and wanting to play and actually being able to play are obviously not the same thing….If they want to leave the team and become a starter elsewhere (no guarantee of that happening, see Jesse Scroggins), more power to them……your “smart odds”, are still very small odds, whether you like it or not…..

Ben Factor

It’s not what I like. It’s what’s important to them. My take on both of them is that they place their NFL ambitions ahead of any other ambitions.

You and I agree that it’s a highly risky thing to aspire to, as are acting, film directing, screenwriting, and a lot of things. I wouldn’t do any of them. But I’m not Wittek or Kessler. I was good at school, not sports.

You and I just don’t agree on the best strategy for the non-starter to pursue to get to the NFL. You say stay at USC; maybe the other guy will fail or get hurt; maybe Max Browne won’t be ahead of you next year, or Rosen the year after that.

I think that’s not a very good strategy. I say go to a college with lesser QBs, where you have a good chance to start in 2014. Your dream is the NFL, well, take your best shot at it. You’ll still have a degree, just not from USC. But at least you’ll have taken your best shot at your dream.

If I may draw on an example, the winning QB in last year’s Superbowl was Joe Flacco. He is tall, with a big arm (sounds like Wittek, doesn’t he?) He was at Pittburgh, and lost out to the other QB. He transferred to Delaware.
He went #18 in the draft.

I don’t understand your thinking at all, but hey, that’s what makes for horse racing. 🙂

LAT is annointing Kessler as the starter. they point out how he led his HS to an a few actual COMEBACK wins, and he does not throw INT’s!! in HS or scrimmages, he is INT adverse. whereas Witteck lets it fly when he gets rattled (i.e. all the time).

wolfman, you KNOW the cadre loves you like a brother from another mother, but i have to agree with the LAT on this one!!! anyway ask ANY TEAM in the Pac 12 who they would want to face, and they’ll say bring on Witteck!!!

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